actually, while it is not called the castle doctrine, what we have is pretty good.

bob

Disclaimers: I am not a lawyer, cop, soldier, gunsmith, politician, plumber, electrician, or a professional practitioner of many of the other things I comment on in this forum.

The opinions expressed by this poster do not reflect the official stance of Illinois Carry. Apparently there was some confusion on the part of at least one person that it does, and I want to make things clear that my opinion is my own and that whatever the official stance of IC is or is not at present, it may or may not reflect my own opinion.

Castle Doctrine laws have been passed in many states in recent years. Please keep in mind that the details that embody castle doctrine vary from state to state. Variably, these statutes allow defensive use of force during an attack by an aggressor, they eliminate a pre-existing duty to retreat or specifically add that there is no duty to retreat, and usually, they immunize a defender from being charged in criminal or civil court for the consequences of defender's actions.

In some states, the "new" Castle Doctrine legislation has simply clarified pre-existing law that essentially meant the same. In other states, these concepts were added anew.

On to Illinois. Illinois has not passed legislation specifically called "Castle Doctrine" at least in the sense that many states have recently. However, existing law in Illinois (found in the IL Criminal Code or ICC, Article 7) pretty much embodies the castle doctrine. I will let you see the codes for yourself, for details: http://www.ilga.gov/.....Code of 1961.

But, according to these codes, Illinoisans:1) Are justified to use force to protect themselves, others, the defender's dwelling, and other property of the defender.2) Are justified in using "deadly force" ONLY, but GIVEN a reasonable belief that such force will prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, or will prevent the commission of a forcible felony.3) Using force justified by the ICC, have an affirmative defense to any claim or liability brought by or on behalf of the "aggressor."4) Have no explicit duty to retreat from a defensive role.

Thus, Illinois effectively (at least according to the verbiage of the ICC) has the equivalent of castle doctrine.

The next real-world question is how much prosecuting attornies can [get away with] twisting and turning these statutes toward an outcome favorable to the aggressor, and unfavorable to the defender...

"It takes all the running you can do just to keep in the same place."Lewis Carroll, 1872